Defending Hard-Won Gains

A Conversation with the AMISOM Force Commander

Photos by AMISOM

Lt. Gen. Silas Ntigurirwa was the force commander of the 22,000-person African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) from December 2013 to December 2014. The first Burundian to hold the post, he arrived in Somalia after a long military career during which he specialized in overseeing complex disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes in Burundi. The 46-year-old officer is married with four children. He has held numerous posts in his home country, including command positions at the platoon, company and battalion levels. He also served in Côte d’Ivoire as chairman of security sector reform and the transformation of defense and security. Ntigurirwa spoke with ADF by phone from Mogadishu in December 2014. This interview has been edited to fit this format.

ADF: One of AMISOM’s recent successes was Operation Indian Ocean, in which forces were able to retake a large amount of coastal territory held by al-Shabaab, kill key commanders and draw al-Shabaab defections. Could you describe this operation, including its planning and lessons learned?

NTIGURIRWA: Operation Indian Ocean was very successful and was done mechanically. Each sector, for example, had its own objectives to capture. It was planned in a manner where many front lines were opened by sequence, and al-Shabaab terrorists encountered many problems from one front to another because of the tactics we used. This operation was also announced by several media houses — local and international — and all objectives were well-known by al-Shabaab and AMISOM forces. This means that all forces were ready and prepared. So this international coverage participated in the success of the operation because when they were announcing the information, all the world was informed and it was a psychological fight against al-Shabaab.

ADF: These coastal towns had been key economically because they financed al-Shabaab — is that correct?

NTIGURIRWA: This is very correct. The capture and the liberation of these coastal towns such as Baraawe from al-Shabaab command weakened them because these ports were used by al-Shabaab to export charcoal and to import ammunition and some arms. So we don’t have any doubt that this situation where we captured all these coastal towns from al-Shabaab will financially weaken them. We are sure that the liberation of these coastal towns will push the supporters of al-Shabaab in the local population to withdraw their support and join the Federal Government of Somalia.

ADF: What is the structure of AMISOM?

NTIGURIRWA: AMISOM is structured into sectors. Sector 1 is under the Ugandan contingent, reinforced by a part of the Burundi contingent. Sector 2 is under the Kenya Defence Forces; Sector 3 is under Ethiopia National Defense Forces; Sector 4 is under the Djibouti contingent and reinforced by one battalion from the Ethiopia National Defense Forces; Sector 5 is under Burundi National Defense Forces; and Sector Kismayo, which is a multinational sector, is under command of Sierra Leone. Also, this Sector Kismayo is composed of troops from Burundi and Kenya Defense Forces as well.

In AMISOM, there are three components. We have a civilian component, military component and police component. The civilian component normally supports the military component and the police component, and they work very closely with the Federal Government of Somalia.

ADF: With so many nations contributing troops, how have the AMISOM forces overcome interoperability problems?

NTIGURIRWA: AMISOM is a multinational mission composed of several contingents from countries like Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda. These are the contingents that have troops on the ground, militarily, but there are also some countries that have staff officers in AMISOM. So the issue of the language barrier is a common problem for all of the contingents, particularly when we want to communicate to the Somalis, who don’t speak English or international languages. So to overcome the issue of a language barrier, we normally use interpreters. AMISOM recruits Somalis who know English well and the local languages. The second challenge is in terms of tactics and doctrine, because there are different considerations and differences in several countries. There is common pre-deployment training for all contingents. This pre-deployment training is organized by ACOTA [Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance] and other partners. It’s the same in Uganda and Kenya, so this training is a common vision for these peacekeepers in the Somalia mission. As long as we have this common vision and the same mandate to liberate Somalia from al-Shabaab ideology, there is not much of a problem of interoperability. Another key point is at the command level because when we have a joint meeting with all the sector commanders, we have the same vision and the same objective. When each sector commander has to ask the question which is his concern, the response and the solution is agreed by all of them. So this is a good strategy, which we use to overcome differences which sometimes make the mission complicated.

ADF: What is the status of the Somali National Army? How close is it to providing security for the country?

NTIGURIRWA: The Somali National Army for now is at the stage that it cannot work alone; it needs to be supported by AMISOM. This is one of the reasons that we conducted the joint operation. These forces face logistical problems and lack professional training at the command level. This is why AMISOM and our partners have worked to train the Somali National Army and to support them in terms of logistics and technical capabilities. Actually, AMISOM has already trained 17,950 troops, for example, with a human rights course. So we hope with this training there is a significant level of progress that is observed in joint operations. For instance, we relied on the Somali National Army more in Operation Indian Ocean than in the last one, Operation Eagle, so we hope that with these joint efforts with AMISOM and other partners, the Somali National Army will achieve its goals as soon as possible.

ADF: In recent days, al-Shabaab has launched a number of brazen attacks, including detonating a car bomb near a United Nations convoy close to the Mogadishu airport on December 3, 2014. What do you make of these attacks?

NTIGURIRWA: Al-Shabaab has changed tactics, and now they are using asymmetric warfare. These tactics are guerrilla tactics, and sometimes they are using young people in some communities that are supporting them. The militants go among the population. So what AMISOM is doing in order to overcome the threat is to particularly collaborate with Somali national institutions and security institutions in order to be supported by all the population. In this regard we don’t have any doubt that these asymmetric tactics will be weakened and defeated, because we will look to work with the Somali population and use other means to collect information to know [the hideouts] of al-Shabaab. We also undertake cordon and search operations jointly with SNA, particularly in Mogadishu, in order to avoid any infiltration of al-Shabaab in the capital and also in the liberated towns. These tactics help us to capture some IEDs, some guns and ammunition, and we have caught many materials that al-Shabaab uses to build IEDs. This was one of the effective tactics, particularly in the towns.

With Operation Indian Ocean, we’ve made so much progress. Now, 80 percent of the territory is under AMISOM control and control of the Federal Government of Somalia, except for some small pockets that need to be addressed in the near future. Probably [this will be addressed in 2015] in order to liberate all of Somalia.

ADF: It seems that the shifting strategy by al-Shabaab toward using more asymmetric tactics indicates it doesn’t think it can hold territory anymore. There have been 26 towns liberated by AMISOM over the past year. Do you think AMISOM will continue to consolidate its gains in 2015? 

NTIGURIRWA: Al -Shabaab is now weak. There is no doubt. But we have to continue to reinforce the strong message against al-Shabaab in order to push them to destroy themselves. Now they are out of options except asymmetric warfare. They are not able to make a frontal attack on our forces. We have to continue to reinforce our security measures against them. AMISOM has paid a very big sacrifice, including the loss of lives.

ADF: Now that many of these towns have been liberated, is AMISOM seeking to open supply routes so humanitarian aid, commercial goods and aid workers can get in?

NTIGURIRWA: This is a very key issue because when we are liberating towns, first of all we have to separate the innocent people from the terrorist groups. We know that most of them run away, and when we capture the town, most of the population comes back. These activities help so much to win the hearts and minds of the local population because when they come back, they find AMISOM forces and SNA forces ready to receive them and provide the basic help they need. This creates good will between the local population, the SNA and AMISOM. Also, you remember that under al-Shabaab control, the population was suffering due to high taxation and sometimes forced marriage. So when they see our forces respecting human rights and giving them the ability to express themselves, they feel very well, and this creates acceptance of our forces.

Civil-military projects make a quick impact in the local communities and bring their hearts and good will to our forces. Of course there is some of that in terms of humanitarian support. We had to secure the main supply roads, and al-Shabaab used a lot of IEDs and we cannot secure the entire long road. So we have made a program to escort the humanitarian assistance to the population. But it has been a very big challenge; this is why AMISOM and its partners have to train the Somali police to be able to provide security and order in all of Somalia. Because this is police activity.

ADF: How does your background as a Burundian affect how you view the AMISOM mission?

NTIGURIRWA: As a Burundian, I don’t have any doubt that my country can be an example to Somalia, not only in Somalia but in other African countries. Burundi suffered many years ago in a civil war and, you know, in Africa all crises, all civil wars, are similar. So I think my country can be an example and help Somalia. They need to come up with a united Somalia policy and Somali national institutions. The Somali people need to abandon the clan dynamics and come up with a patriotic mindset. Every conflict, every crisis, has its roots, its base. In Somalia there are these clan dynamics that create a lot of difference between the communities. So as a Burundian and a general officer who contributes to my country in order to bring peace and stability, I encourage all Somalis to work for a good future for the new generation. Also, I advise them to have good political will. It is important that the parties to the conflict have a common focus on the national interest. Because, at the end of the day, Somalia as a country is for all Somalis.

ADF: Do you have any final thoughts? 

NTIGURIRWA: According to the lessons learned during my tour of duty as AMISOM force commander, it is very important that this mission is an African mission. Yes, we can support each other, and the support from our partners is very important. Without our partner support, AMISOM alone cannot be able to operate. The other lesson is that Africa is encouraged to defend vulnerable populations because sometimes they intervene after the crisis is fully opened. I think it is important not to wait until countries are devastated, like Somalia. Now, Africa is able to solve some of its own problems. I can say we are progressing toward African solutions to African problems. Finally, it is very important to say that the African Union can put in place a strong strategy relating to a peace support operation in order to be able to intervene any time there is a necessity.